


The Last Dance

by Torri012



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Episode Fix-It: s07e25 Endgame (Star Trek: Voyager), F/M, Feelings Realization, Homecoming Dance, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Not Actually Unrequited Love, POV Alternating, Post-Endgame, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:14:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28295139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Torri012/pseuds/Torri012
Summary: Sometimes we just need to hold the people we treasure just a little bittooclose to realize how much we actually love them.
Relationships: Chakotay & Kathryn Janeway, Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 34
Kudos: 118





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you [StarTrekkin08](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarTrekkin08/pseuds/StarTrekkin08) for the amazing beta :)
> 
> Inspired by this beautiful image by [Jane_dee01](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jane_dee01/pseuds/Jane_dee01)

Three months. 

That’s how long it had been since he'd had a proper conversation with her. Three long months of debriefings and counselling sessions. Three months of dating Seven, explaining more about Earth and its customs rather than helping her explore her humanity and their newfound relationship. Three months full of lonely dinners in grey Starfleet housing, wishing the vegetable casserole in front of him was burnt at the bottom because Kathryn had disagreed with the replicator again. 

Three whole months and yet she didn’t once look into his direction. Oh, she had greeted him with a friendly nod upon entering the ball, but that had been it. She had conversed with what felt like every member of the crew and every last one of the brass, yet she had not bothered engaging in a conversation with him at all.

He watched her circle the room, exchanging smiles and touches, while he nursed his drink and nervously tugged on his ear. He had to address her, if only to check that she was doing okay. B’Elanna had told him, in no uncertain terms, that his relationship with Seven was an issue for her and the majority of the crew, hence why many had kept their distance from him. He knew, of course, that they didn’t understand, but he was enough of an adult for him to realize he didn’t need their approval, either. It was his life and Seven was good for him.

He stood alone near the buffet table when the band announced the evening's last dance. He wasn’t the best dancer, nor was he majorly keen on the exercise, but if he didn’t grab this last opportunity Kathryn would leave without saying a single word to him. He put down his glass, hastily striding over to her. He didn’t know how she did it, but somehow she must have noticed him approaching because as soon as he drifted near, she turned and looked at him quizzically.

“Commander?”

He smiled before pulling on his earlobe once again and slightly bent down towards her, almost as if he was bowing. “Care to do me the honor of the last dance, Captain?”

She observed him as if she was trying to decipher his intentions. He didn’t have any intentions except for his need to be near her.

“We haven’t had a chance to catch up…”, he began to ramble, somehow trying to explain why he wanted to spend time with her and she nodded in understanding.

“You’re right.” She forced a friendly smile onto her lips while placing her champagne flute onto the tray of a passing waiter. “A dance sounds lovely, Commander.”

Her repeated usage of his rank didn’t escape his notice and he suppressed the urge to point it out to her. She clearly didn’t wish to rekindle their friendship and Chakotay’s heart broke at the thought. He had always valued the bond he had shared with Kathryn and he was more than just hurt at the thought that something as silly as a relationship with Seven had severed their friendship. 

Kathryn brushed a strand of hair out of her face, giving him a (fake) lopsided smile before she let him lead her onto the dancefloor. The floor was buzzing with eager couples and Chakotay led them to a wider opening in the far corner. He held up his arms for her and Kathryn stepped into his grasp, but due to the lack of space their dancing position was somewhat sloppy and improper.

Rather than placing his hands between her shoulder blades, his hand nestled on the small of her back, pulling her closer than she should be. Although their combined hands were supposed to be slightly outstretched, they ended up close to his chest. The position made them look more like a cozy romantic couple than the professional work associates she clearly wanted them to be. 

When the music started to play and they began to dance, Kathryn shifted even more into position. For a moment he thought he had felt his heart skip due to her close proximity. Her flowery perfume filled his nostrils, her hot skin warmed his own, and her soft yet elegant movements matched his to a tee. He had thought that Seven felt good in his arms but Kathryn felt like she belonged there. He had never held Kathryn before and yet it felt like the place in his arms became hers, as if it had always been hers. She just... _fit,_ like a tailored suit or a perfectly molded glove - made to match him.

Unconsciously, his head sank down beside hers, brushing against her hair every so often while the grip on her back tightened, pressing her as flush against his body as possible. Kathryn didn’t resist and for a few long seconds they just shared the intimacy of the moment. 

“So, what did you want to talk about, Chakotay?” She broke the spell that had befallen him and he somewhat inched his face away to look at her. It was probably her perfume that was clouding his brain in combination with too much alcohol and too little food, but for a split second he just wanted to press his lips against hers.

Instead of making an utter fool of himself, he opted for the more appropriate and logical option - small talk. “Nothing... Everything... I just wanted to know how you’re doing? What you’ve been up to in the last few months? I’ve barely seen you since we broke through the Borg conduit.”

“I’ve been very busy with debriefings, just like the rest of the crew… Well, perhaps a little more.” 

As she spoke, her voice was soft and Chakotay struggled to not get lost in the sound of it. Oh, how he had missed hearing her voice. How he had missed those blue eyes and small freckles on her fair skin paired with that wicked smile which drove him crazy more than just once. 

He quietly cleared his throat, telling himself not to let his thoughts run wild. She was his ex-boss. He had a girlfriend. There had never been anything more than friendship between them. He smiled at her admission that she worked herself crazy again.

“What else?”

An unreadable expression briefly flickered upon her face before she looked at him with a completely blank, and almost cold, expression. “Nothing else.”

He knew very well that that wasn’t true. She had been to Indiana, caught up with her old fiancé and considered getting a puppy. At the same time she tried very hard to become a friend to a large portion of their former crew, supporting their career choices while lending an ear to help ease their burdens. B’Elanna had told him this much.

“Surely you must have done something, Kathryn?” He tried again but she shook her head and looked away.

“No, just working. You know how I am… a coffee-drinking workaholic.”

She tried to make it sound like a joke but it came out sounding rather miserable. He licked his lips and nodded. It was obvious she didn’t wish to involve him in her private affairs. Perhaps their friendship had been more damaged by his relationship with Seven than he had ever imagined. But why would she act like this? If he had dated anyone else their friendship would have remained the same. It wouldn’t have affected their dinners, their interactions, or their conversations. Why had she withdrawn so much since she had found out? Why had everybody withdrawn so much from him?

After a long pause, during which she seemed to find something behind him very interesting, she asked him in return. “What about you? How are you?”

“Good.”

Her lack of further inquiry unsettled him, so he continued talking as he maneuvered them slowly across the dancefloor. Surely, she must have some interest in how he and Seven were doing. After all, they had shared their lives for several years on the same starship.

“Seven is making progress in adapting to Earth's society and I’ve been offered a permanent teaching position at the academy.”

Kathryn nodded absently. “That’s good.” 

“Yes, it is.” He observed her, but no matter how hard he wished she’d show any sign of interest in him or his life, she didn’t. The couples surrounding them as well as the mosaic floor seemed to be a lot more exciting to her. He chewed his lip, trying to find something to say that would ease this uncomfortable tension and still his wildly beating heart.

“Something wrong, Kathryn?”

Her gaze wandered to his shoulder and then to his tie. “No”, she mumbled in a barely audible tone. Alarm bells started to go off in Chakotay’s mind. Kathryn being dismissive AND quiet meant that _everything_ was wrong. Whatever he had done that caused her to behave like this, it was bad. Very, very bad. 

“You know, you can tell me anything. I am your friend.”

With those words, she looked at him. “I told you already; nothing is wrong.”

He nodded. Right.   
Nothing was wrong. Clearly.

The fact that Kathryn had shut him out scared Chakotay more than anything he had encountered in the last several years. She had always, _always_ , told him of her troubles and worries and the fact that she hid them from him, that she lied to him, frightened him more than he could bear. Not even putting a Kazon, a Borg, Species 8472 and a Hirogen together on one ship was as terrifying as this.

She had been the only constant in his life, a constant which he treasured more than anything. She had brought him peace and happiness, soothed his aching heart, made him re-evaluate his outlook on life, and gave him a chance to be a better man. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, but he could feel her slipping through his fingers like a handful of sand. 

Secretly he had loved her. He had waited for her to allow him to cross the boundary she had set for them both. He had spent years deceiving himself that she had felt the same, that she would, one day, let him become more than her first officer and friend. Over time he had given up hope. He had moved on and had found happiness elsewhere. Yet, now that she was in his arms, safe and sound, he figured that perhaps he had been a fool. 

There was no ‘moving on’ from Kathryn Janeway. She had set the bar so high that no woman could ever reach it and become her equal. He had caught himself comparing Seven to Kathryn in the past months, wishing for her to be more like her former mentor, but she was just a poor substitute. He had placed Kathryn on a pedestal, had given her his heart and nothing, no matter how hard he tried, had managed to remove her from her place. 

He wasn’t sure if it was his thundering heart, the butterflies in his stomach as he had pulled her in for the dance, or the panicked fear of losing her that made him come to realize his mistake. He had never moved on from her, nor was he likely to ever do so. She held a place deep within him for eternity.

Carefully he pulled her closer and closed his eyes as his chin and cheek touched the side of her head. Telling himself he wasn’t in love with her anymore was ludicrous. There was nowhere in the galaxy he’d rather be than by her side. The heartache and emptiness in the last three months should’ve been clue enough.

He was still holding onto her after the music had stopped and the horrible reality slammed into his face when Kathryn’s small hands pushed him away from her. He had fooled himself and by doing so had ruined everything they ever had. 

“It was nice seeing you, Chakotay”, she whispered as she untangled herself from his hold. “I wish you all the best in future. Maybe one day our paths will cross again.”

Confused, he blinked, rooted to the ground as she gave him one last look and a short, “Goodbye,” before she turned and left him standing in the middle of the ballroom. By the time the meaning of her words hit him, she was gone. 

Panic flooded his system. He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of her, but she was nowhere to be seen. 

She was gone.  
Out of his life.  
For good.

It was the quiet conversation of passing crewmen that made him remember where he was. Slowly, he moved off the dance floor, his gaze unfocused and his steps uncoordinated. He grabbed a drink off a passing serving platter and chugged it down in one gulp. As the liquid slid down his throat, he leaned his hand against the nearby wall, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. She had entirely severed the connection between them and Chakotay felt that if he didn’t hold onto something immediately he might pass out. 

It was a decorative plant which had shielded him from the view of nearby crewmen who were busy discussing him and Kathryn. Chakotay wasn’t one to eavesdrop but the snippet of conversation he picked up was enough to make his head spin even further.

 _“...I would’ve thought the Commander smarter…”  
_ _“Yeah, me too.”  
_ _“I mean, how blind is he to not notice that the Captain is upset about him dating someone else?”  
_ _“I think ‘upset’ is an understatement. Apparently, she fled with tears in her eyes into her ready room when she found out he was dating Seven.”  
_ _“No way.”  
_ _“Yes, way. Paris saw her.”_  
_“WOW... Chakotay is dumb.”  
“I know, right?”_

The conversation between the two crewmen had ended as quickly as it had started, leaving a dumbfounded Chakotay behind, staring at a wall. No, no, what he had just heard wasn’t true. Kathryn hadn’t cried because he was dating Seven. There was no chance that she had had feelings for him. He knew that for a fact.

Determined to get his bearings again, he spun around on his heels and headed straight to the nearby bar. He didn’t notice that he almost knocked Harry over or the confused look B’Elanna gave him when he didn’t hear her addressing him. He willed his brain to concentrate on only one thing: whisky. He needed that right now. Lots of it. 

The words he recently and briefly picked up still rang in his ears as he ordered a double shot. They mocked him, saying that if he would’ve been smarter, he _might_ have stood a chance with her. He and Kathryn. They _could_ have been together if he hadn’t started dating Seven.

The last drop of whisky burned down his throat like acid. Seven's hand snuck around his side and pulled him closer to her. When he turned to look at her he instantly cursed himself for not noticing sooner that those weren’t the blue eyes he’d wanted to look at for the rest of his life. They weren’t the ones that he wanted to wake up to, to wipe tears away from, or the ones he wanted to watch as they grew heavy due to sleep. 

He blinked as he turned away from her and swallowed hard, placing the empty glass onto the cold marble surface of the counter. His fingers trembled as they detached themself from the glass before finding a place on his forehead, trying to wipe away the dread that threatened to consume him. This wasn’t right. Seven wasn’t right.

He turned his head towards the door through which Kathryn must have vanished only minutes before. The door that separated him from the best thing that ever happened in his life. The door that parted him from the woman that he had loved like no other for seven goddamn years. The door behind which all his dreams and hopes had disappeared to. The door that had closed on him because he had tried to move on. 

He cursed himself mentally for his stupidity, his hand brushing over his forehead one last time as if to calm himself before he suddenly dashed towards the door like a crazy person, ignoring a highly confused Seven and staring bystanders. This damn door wouldn’t shut on him. Not if he had any say in it. 

He ripped the door open so violently that half of the room stilled and stared in his direction when the sound of its metal handle slammed against the stone wall and reverberated throughout the room. This wasn’t going to be their end. It couldn’t be. He wouldn’t let it be. 

The evening air was crisp but Chakotay didn’t notice. He glanced left and right, trying to figure out which way the transporter station was before he started to run. He had depended on running many times in his past. It had been the deciding factor between life and death but not once did he ever run as fast, as hard, or as determined as he did now. Now his _everything_ depended on it and he was going to run for as long as it took until he could hold _his_ Kathryn in his arms. If there was any chance to get her back he’d do his damndest to fix this or he’d drop dead trying. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was never meant to be a second chapter, but since almost every review asked for one - here it is. I hope it is what you expect/wanted. If it's not... Oh well, too late now 🙈😅 
> 
> Thank you again, [StarTrekkin08](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarTrekkin08/pseuds/StarTrekkin08), for the amazing and fast beta ❤️

Three months of torment. 

Three horrible months of debriefings and fighting for her crew day in and day out. Three months of returning to grey quarters each evening with no one to turn to. Three months without a rock to hold her steady in place and keep her both sane and protected. Three months without anyone trying to lift her burdens and help her endure a new set of hardships. Three months of desperately trying to fill every waking moment with some activity or another just to stop herself from thinking about the thing, or rather, _person_ , who was tearing her insides apart. 

Kathryn sobbed as soon as the grand doors of the ballroom slammed shut behind her. She had known this evening would be hard on her mental state but she hadn’t expected it to be like this. She had avoided him, _them_ , for the entire evening and just as it all was about to end, he had dared to make a move. It was not the fleeting “hello” she had expected. No, it was a dance. 

Common courtesy had forced her to accept the dance, but then she suddenly found herself in his arms, pressed against his body. For seven years she had wanted to be held by those arms, to be wrapped up in them at night, and be supported by them throughout the day. Seven goddamn years. And then, when they held another woman, the bastard had the nerve to pull her into them, too. Yes, it had only been for a few brief minutes but they had been enough to finally push her over the edge.

Kathryn wobbled towards the transporter station with shaky legs. She needed to get home to the safe haven she had created for herself. There were no memories of him there and it would be easier for her to breathe and cry over what she had lost. She had packed and expelled all of her items which were somehow connected to him. The box could be found in her mother’s house in Indiana, hidden from sight in the depths of a closet. But now this dress and this evening were soiled with memories, too.

She had always hoped that it would end well for the two of them, _for her,_ but once again she had been mistaken. It appeared that God saw fit to throw her one curveball after another. Once again, it caused Kathryn to wonder what she had done wrong to deserve all of this. First Justin was taken from her, then Mark, and now… now him. She just couldn’t endure it any longer. 

For the last seven years she imagined the day she saw Earth again would be the happiest moment in her life, and it had been, until she averted her gaze from the beautiful planet in front of her and turned around to see him, standing beside _her_. Just where the Admiral had told her he would be. She had thought her older self was playing a cruel trick on her to get her to comply, but at that moment she had realised that she had been telling the truth. Chakotay had moved on. With Seven, of all people. 

_‘From that moment on, her needs would come first,’_ had echoed through her brain as she had escaped into her ready room, seconds before the first hot tears began to stream down her cheeks. _‘He’d be by her side. Always.’_ What a lie that had turned out to be and she had been a fool for believing it.

Although she sobbed pathetically as she tumbled along the road, she was proud of herself for leaving the dance. Proud that she’d managed to sever their connection. Proud that she had finally managed to say goodbye. She needed to get him out of her system before a haunting darkness consumed her love life again.

How naïve had she been to believe all these lies? What else had she expected after pushing him away; over and over again? The childhood fairytales of true, undying, love were just a lie. A fantasy told to young girls to make the world seem less cruel. How stupid had she been to believe that she had found just it with Chakotay? Her fairytale prince charming; who would conquer and endure everything just to be with his one true love?! If she wasn’t so heartwretchingly miserable she’d probably laugh at her own folly.

A curb, hidden by the shadows of the night, caused her to stumble and fall. She painfully twisted her ankle before her knees slammed onto something sharp on the hard surface. She winced at the pain and instinctively reached down to her exposed knee. Kathryn’s fingers trembled as she covered the bloody gash. Her body slackened forward and she began to cry bitterly, not caring that she was sitting on a small street in the middle of San Francisco. 

A waterfall of tears streamed down her face, as she slightly whipped back and forth, her sobbing sounds echoing through the unfrequented sideroad. Kathryn was at her end. Seven years had taken their toll and when Chakotay had left her side, it had been the final nail in her coffin. She couldn’t do this any longer. 

It was just as she had always feared. This had been the very reason why she had never let him see that she had felt more than friendship towards him. She had always known that it wouldn’t be the Delta Quadrant or even the dangers of space that would break her in the end. No, she had always known that it would be her love for him that would make her crumble into pieces. 

“Kathryn!” His dark voice pierced that night and for a moment she was sure she imagined it. She had drunk more than she was used to in order to endure the evening. When she heard her name called again, she cursed herself in between her wails, telling her brain to stop hallucinating. He wasn’t coming to her aid. Not anymore. Not this time. Not ever.

“Oh my god, Kathryn. Are you hurt?” 

Before she knew what was happening, he fell to his knees next to her, sweeping her into his arms. Kathryn broke entirely there and then. Her head fell against his shoulder as she began to cry uncontrollably, not hearing the soothing words he whispered against her hair. She was dreaming all of this. She had finally gone mad.

  
  


Chakotay’s face was as pale as a sheet of paper as he clung to her tiny shaking frame. The one hand not cradling her body hastily explored her skin, checking for more injuries. Luckily the bleeding gash on her leg was not deep, but he guessed that she may have twisted an ankle with those heels. He was still slightly panting from the sprinting he did down the road, the dread and panic subsiding slowly. 

“Kathryn, I’m going to lift you, okay?”

A tiny nod. 

Chakotay wasn’t sure if it was a nod of understanding or if it was a side effect of her shaking and sobbing body. Her small hand had taken hold of his tie, clinging onto it like it was a lifeline, hurting his neck, but Chakotay didn’t care. Kathryn was fairly unharmed in his arms. He shifted them into position and as he had a firm grip on her, he hoisted them off the floor.

“Oh.” 

Surprised, she slightly leaned her head backwards and blinked at him with red, swollen eyes, not quite sure what was happening. Her makeup all smudged and she had obviously been crying for some time.

She almost choked on his name since her waterfall of tears kept flowing. “Cha..k….oo...”

“Ssshh. It’s alright, I’ve got you, Kathryn,” he mumbled as he hoisted her further into his grip before he began to carry her towards the transporter station. This wasn’t how he imagined it would be like when he’d caught up with her, but he’d be a liar if he said he minded it. He held her in his arms and she was too weak to fight or push him away again. 

The transporter station wasn’t far and thanks to a very kind station master, who couldn’t bear the sight of the crying woman, he had managed to get both of them transported straight into his apartment. He called for the lights before he gently sat her down on his sofa before rushing into the bathroom. She was still crying softly when he returned with a dermal generator to heal the cut on her leg and her twisted ankle. 

He kneeled on the floor in front of her and watched her for a moment. She looked like she had been through hell and back. Not once had he imagined to see her so fragile and broken. Was this his doing? It clearly couldn’t all be due to her fall.

He slid carefully onto the sofa next to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. He soothed her back and kissed her hair while he reassured her over and over that he was right here. That whatever the matter was he’d make it alright for her. For a few minutes they basked in each other's comfort and clung onto one another. The moment was then interrupted by the repeated beeping sounds of Chakotay’s communication terminal.

“That will be Seven,” Kathryn mumbled before she let go of him. She quickly wiped the remaining tears on her face with one hand before she tried to get a hold of her composure. She had let herself be swept off her feet by him like a damsel in distress because she’d been too weak to push him aside. How stupid was she? Hadn’t she suffered enough? “I should go.”

“No.” He pulled her back against his chest. He’d never let her go again. “Let it ring.”

She placed a hand on his chest to push herself away from him. “Chakotay!”

He licked his lips, before he turned to look at her. “I’ll deal with Seven later. Let’s just… sit here and talk.”

She wiped her face again to eliminate some of the makeup streaks on her cheeks to salvage some of her decency. “I don’t see what we have to talk about. I’ve said everything I have to say.”

“I haven’t... and I’m not letting you leave until you’ve heard what I have to say.”

Kathryn pressed her eyes shut and bit her lips, trying to force her new wave of tears to stay put. He noticed her struggle and took hold of her hand. Hastily, she pulled it away, but he took it again with a firmer grip. She tried to pull her hand away again, but he wouldn’t have it. She blinked at his determination and while he slowly sunk back onto the floor and onto his knees, her eyes began to glaze over again against her will.

“Kathryn,” he began as he now held both her hands firmly in place with his, his eyes never leaving hers. He knew he was taking one hell of a risk by confessing his feelings, but if he wanted her back, he would have to be brutally honest about everything. “For seven years I have loved you. I had always hoped that when we returned to Earth you’d be open to a romantic relationship between us. To let us explore this... _thing_ that's been between us from the day we’ve met. For seven years I have endured your rejections and refusals, stuck to the parameters you’ve set for us both, and respected your boundaries, but I won’t do it any longer. Not anymore.”

Confused, she looked at him. “What are you saying?”

The fact that she didn’t slap him then and there before bolting out of the door made his heart swell with hope. Perhaps it wasn’t too late for him, _for them_ , yet. Perhaps he still stood a chance with her. He briefly toyed with her fingers, sorting the words in his brain. 

“What I’m saying is… date me, Kathryn... Marry me. Have children with me. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me in my entire life and I will not let you walk away like this. I promise to give you the stars if you’ll just let me.”

Those damn tears wouldn’t be stopped and her lips quivered as she whispered, “What about Seven?”

“I made a mistake. A huge one… and I swear to the heavens that if you forgive me this error, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

He never thought he’d beg any woman to have him. Yet, here he was, on his knees, praying to every deity in the universe that he could and would fix this. Fix _them_. She pulled one of her hands out of his grip. It trembled as she placed it over her mouth, still trying to comprehend what was happening and what he was saying. 

The confusion of it all was evident in her features. “Are you s-?”

“Yes.” He reassured her, inching closer. “I’m saying I’m madly in love with you, Kathryn Janeway. Always have and always will be.”

She briefly pressed her eyes shut, causing a few more tears to spill over and spiral downwards as she let his words sink in. He loved her. Still. She prayed that once she opened her eyes again, he’d still be there, that this was real, and not some cruel trickery of her brain. To her surprise and her relief, he was still kneeling on the floor in front of her, when she blinked herself back to reality.

Chakotay watched her battle with her emotions. He could see she was struggling to comprehend, still too shaken from everything that had happened. She hadn’t said yet that she wanted his love, nor had she said yet that she returned it, but he felt like she might. 

Carefully, he brushed his thumb over her hand, soothing her, caressing her. He could see that the scars he had inflicted were a lot deeper than he had ever dared to imagine and he will do whatever it takes to heal them. He had never intended to injure her. Upset her, perhaps. But not like this. His foolishness, his blindness and ignorance to her feelings had brought Kathryn down to her knees, crying. 

As silence stretched to the room, he became restless. He couldn’t read what was going on within her or what she was thinking. The longer she took to respond, the more afraid he grew of the moment. She wasn’t taking her time in order to turn him down again, was she?

“Say something,” he quietly begged. “Please.”

She was still shaking slightly, her hand coming back down to meet his. Her fingers intertwined with his, her head sinking to watch their hands. For a moment, Chakotay watched their fingers too, but then he looked back at her. He needed to know.

“Kathryn, will you have me?”

She slowly lifted her head to look at him.

“Will you let me try and make you happy?”

She blinked, nodding faintly and a quiet “Yes,” hushed over her lips. 

His heart felt like bursting with joy. This was probably the best day of his life. His face instantly broke out in full dimples and he let out a sigh of relief before he began to chuckle. His happiness was evident. “Gosh, you scared me just then.”

Regardless of her tears, she couldn’t help herself from smiling. It was almost a wicked, teasing kind of smile. She pulled her eyebrows into a small frown as she grinned at him. Her voice was still weak, yet it couldn’t hide the playful undertone. “You deserved it.”

His broad grin seemed to spread from one ear to the other. “I will take any punishment you see fit, _Captain_ , but first, let me do one more thing.”

She raised a questioning eyebrow. “What?”

He got off his knees, his hand letting go of hers. With one swift movement he pulled her close to him, placing a hand on her soft neck and her slender hip as he sat down next to her.

“This,” he gasped before his lips met hers for the first time. After the initial surprise of his action had worn off, Kathryn grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him flush against her. The kiss started out soft, tasting and exploring each other for the first time, before it became heated and passionate. 

Chakotay’s lips tasted bitter and of whiskey, while Kathryn’s lips were hot and salty from the tears she’d shed. He swore himself then and there that he would never again have to kiss away tears that were of his own doing. He’d make her happy, from now on until eternity. 

Always. 

\- fin -


End file.
